Portland, Oregon’s Nomad Cycles is a community-based bike shop that’s spent the last decade doing electric conversions, custom builds, and adaptive bikes. They are driven by a passion for community and empowering people and businesses. They’ve recently decided that the next step is to go from a bike shop to a bike manufacturer.
Like many small brands hoping to make a big impact, they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to help hand-build their first couple of eBikes: the Double Down and the Kickback.
Nomad Cycles Double Down
The Nomad Cycles Double Down takes its name from the bike’s unique double down tube. It uses a custom vanadium steel frame. Nomad says this “absorbs the road and acts as a passive suspension system”. Part of that passive suspension is the shape of the seat stays, along with a “floating” seat tube.
It comes with a powerful CYC Photon mid-drive motor and uses premium components. Nomad claims they deliver comfort, durability, and performance, making it the perfect commuter.
Nomad also believes in the “right to repair”. So their first two bike models, the Double Down and the Kickback, were designed with that ethos. What does that mean? Nomad points out that their modular approach to ebike design means if parts to repair the motor are nonexistent 20 years from now, you can swap in a new motor system without trashing the frame. And you can do so without voiding the warranty.
Nomad Cycles Kickback
It utilizes “crank forward” geometry for a nice, upright, comfortable, and relaxed riding position. This helps alleviate strain on the neck and wrists while offering better visibility and confidence.
The geo also allows the rider the ability to place both feet on the ground at a stop. With a cool and unique step-through design, the bike is designed to fit the rider, not the other way around.
What About the Motor
The motors that are available are a 750-watt mid-drive or a 1000-watt hub motor. Either motor can be used for the Double Down or the Kickback.
The 750-watt torque-sensing mid-drive motor from CYC is legal in all states. And, it’s completely reparable, with every part available to “anyone with an address to send them to”.
The 1000-watt hub motor is legal in Oregon and other US States for a Class-3 eBike. The rear hub motor is from Grin Technologies. It’s precision-machined, torque-sensor-equipped, regenerative braking, and made on the West Coast.
Pricing
Through Kickstarter, pricing will start at $4,950 for the Early Bird Kickback or DoubleDown, although the Early Bird deals for the DoubleDown are already gone. That means the price for the DoubleDown now starts at $5,500, and the estimated delivery of both bikes is expected for December 2025. The Kickstarter campaign has a ways to go to meet its $150k goal, with 22 days left at the time of writing.
Check them out at the link below.
